GIFT   OF 
Class    of   1887 


envision 


Great 
Gomm 


IRJMA-  ...N-WELL  5 


the  thought  go  forth 
from  the  mind  of  each  true  American 
and  reader  of  this  little  book 
to  unite  with  those  across 
the  sea  toward  ever- 
lasting Peace 


THE  VISION  OF  THE 
GREAT  COMMANDER 


THE  VISION  OF  THE 
GREAT  COMMANDER 


BY 
IRMA  N.  WELLS 


SAN  FRANCISCO 
1917 


'ff  Ittl 


COPYRIGHT,  1917,  BY  IRMA  N.  WELLS 


PRINTED  BY  TAYLOR  &  TAYLOR,  SAN  FRANCISCO 


cDedicated 

to 

Mr.  Woodrow  Wilson 

who  has  so  conscientiously  and 

nobly  met  the  complex 

problems  arising  in 

his  administration 


740015 


THE  VISION  OF  THE 
GREAT  COMMANDER 

THE  Great  Commander  and 
Ruler  of  People  pulled  his 
military  cape  more  closely 
around  his  shivering  body  as  the  wind 
fearlessly  slapped  it  back  now  and  then, 
trying  as  it  were  to  prove  its  power  over 
this  tall,  soldierly  man. 

In  walking  along  the  shore  of  the 
wild  and  restless  sea,  by  the  defiant  ex- 
pression on  his  face,  he  seemed  to  chal- 
lenge even  the  wind  and  waves  to  battle. 
Their  very  wildness  interpreted  their 
resentment. 

Fear  was  unknown  to  this  great 
soldier  and  lover  of  the  sword.  His  type 
was  one  never  to  be  forgotten.  The 
stamp  of  militarism  was  upon  him.  Just 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

a  word  of  warning  from  his  lips  made 
every  man  feel  to  escape  the  soldier  life 
was  impossible.  He  was  looked  upon  by 
one  and  all  as  the  father  of  their  nation. 

Under  his  commanding  power  more 
soldiers  were  trained  each  year  for  his 
country.  Every  boy  had  to  have  his  mili- 
tary discipline  before  the  responsibili- 
ties of  manhood  were  undertaken. 

It  was  the  glory  and  pride  of  this 
great  Ruler  to  review  the  well-trained 
armies,  and  after  years  of  this  national 
environment,  one  of  the  strongest  or- 
ganized bodies  of  men  the  world  had 
even  seen,  like  a  smoldering  fire,  was 
ready  to  break  out  and  disturb  the  peace 
of  the  world. 

Never  before  had  the  Ruler  of  the 
Nation  been  known  to  go  unescorted 
from  the  Royal  Palace  alone  at  this 
hour  of  the  night;  he  had  always  been 
accompanied  by  pomp  and  under 
guard.  But  now  this  was  different;  the 
message  had  come  to  him,  and  it  seemed 
irresistible. 

[2] 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

As  wild  as  the  night  was,  he  ventured 
out  alone  to  answer  the  call  of  one  he 
feared  at  last  to  ignore. 

It  was  a  striking  picture  to  see  this 
giant  figure  silhouetted  against  the 
evening  sky.  The  dark  cape  covered  his 
identity. 

It  was  apparent  only  to  the  most  ob- 
serving and  scrutinizing  eye  that  some- 
thing unusual  was  impelling  this  dark- 
cloaked  personage  as  he  hastened  on  to 
his  destination. 

He  faltered  on  a  high  rocky  preci- 
pice for  a  second. 

The  waves  dashed  in  and  around  the 
rocks  below. 

"Peace!  Peace!"  were  the  words  they 
sounded  to  his  ears. 

Out  of  the  foam  thousands  of  yearn- 
ing faces  looked  up  to  him  for  mercy. 

He  pulled  his  helmet  down  over  his 
eyes,  as  if  to  cast  out  the  sight.  He  cov- 
ered his  ears  to  deafen  the  familiar  cry 
that  every  day  was  increasing. 

When  he  walked  in  the  court  of  the 

[3] 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

Palace  he  heard  it  at  every  step  he  took. 

He  sought  rest  for  his  soul  in  the 
music-room,  but  the  great  organ  wailed 
pathetically,  at  the  end  of  each  cadence, 
"Peace!" 

The  beautiful  flowers  growing  so 
profusely  in  the  gardens  of  the  Royal 
Palace,  with  up-turned  faces,  tried  to 
implant,  as  it  seemed,  in  the  soul  of  this 
great  soldier  the  peacefulness  with 
which  they  were  so  richly  endowed. 

Nature's  greatest  gift  was  also  given 
to  him,  but  he  had  ignored  it.  In  confi- 
dence he  felt  his  great  armies  could 
defy  that  greater  law  of  Love  and 
Peace. 

A  light  soon  appeared  ahead,  and  he 
knew  that  he  was  nearing  his  destina- 
tion. It  was  a  light  so  different  from 
others.  It  seemed  to  search  his  very  soul. 
Its  soft  glow  was  fascinating.  To  him  it 
suggested  warmth  and  a  welcome. 

For  a  second  the  Ruler  seemed  to 
abandon  his  air  of  defiance.  The  relax- 
ation softened  the  determined  lines  of 
his  face. 

[4] 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

Suddenly  he  pulled  himself  together, 
as  if  to  break  the  spell  cast  upon  him. 
He  tightened  his  hand  upon  his  sword. 
As  he  did  so  the  light  blurred,  flickered, 
and  became  so  dim  that  he  groped  in 
the  darkness. 

"Why  am  I  tormented  by  these  pecu- 
liar fancies  of  late?"  spoke  the  Ruler 
in  a  demanding  tone.  "Where  has  the 
light  gone  that  gave  me  peace,  in  mind, 
soul,  and  body?" 

"You  are  here  at  last,"  spoke  a  voice 
from  out  of  the  darkness. 

"Yes;  I  have  obeyed  your  call,"  re- 
plied the  Ruler.  "I  cannot  stay  long.  I 
must  not." 

"To  stay  or  leave  I  will  to  you," 
spoke  the  voice  with  a  sadness  and  gen- 
tleness so  deep  and  great  that  the  Ruler 
felt  as  if  a  great  magnet  was  drawing 
him  away  from  the  human  will  that 
had  held  him  irresistible  and  fearless 
before  man. 

"Who  are  you?"  demanded  the 
Ruler. 

[5] 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

"Don't  you  know  me?"  spoke  the 
voice.  "I  am  Conscience.  I  have  called 
you  many  times  before,  but  you  heeded 
me  not." 

"Your  ways  and  my  ways  are  so  vast- 
ly different,"  replied  the  Ruler.  "I  must 
leave  you." 

"No — See,"  said  the  voice,  pointing 
to  a  near-by  house.  "There  you  shall 
find  rest  and  peace  for  your  soul.  I  shall 
show  you  why  you  must  not  go  away." 

Up  to  this  time  the  Ruler  could  not 
see  his  companion,  but  as  they  entered 
the  strange  silent  little  white  house, 
whiter  than  the  whitest,  wherein  all  was 
perfect  peace  and  harmony,  the  light 
again  blazed  out,  and  he  saw  it  was  the 
light  from  the  eyes  of  Conscience. 

"Why  did  you  leave  me  stumbling  in 
the  darkness  after  having  lighted  my 
pathway?"  spoke  the  Ruler. 

"The  hand  that  loves  the  sword  or 
touches  it  in  the  mad  desire  for  rule 
cannot  receive  the  light  from  me.  I  am 
here  ready  to  show  you  how  to  win  your 

[6] 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

battles  by  Love  and  Brotherly  Good 
Will.  You  have  the  key  of  peace  and 
happiness  to  the  yearning  hearts  of 
millions.  Your  vast  armies  are  naught. 
They  are  not  big  enough  to  defeat  Love 
and  Peace.  Lay  down  your  arms  of  steel 
and  raise  your  arms  of  flesh  in  humble 
reach  for  humanity's  sake." 

Conscience  drew  nearer  to  the  Ruler 
and  continued: 

"That  would  be  the  winning  of  your 
battles.  The  indemnities  would  come, 
you  would  not  know  from  where,  but 
they  would  enrich  you  so  greatly  that 
all  nations  would  have  to  borrow  from 
you.  I  would  declare  to  all,  for  you, 
from  the  highest  pinnacle,  'Your  Vic- 
tory' and  'My  Prayer.'  " 

The  voice  of  Conscience  was  sweet 
and  pleading  as  he  continued : 

"Peace  knows  not  the  touch  of  steel. 
It  knows  only  the  touch  of  a  flower.  It 
knows  not  the  sound  of  the  cannon,  but 
the  song  of  a  bird." 

The  Ruler  was  enraptured  and  held 

[7] 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

spellbound.  His  soul  seemed  to  mask  his 
face. 

Conscience  again  drew  near.  Was  the 
call  heeded  at  last?  He  waited. 

The  peace  and  rest  to  the  Ruler  was 
such  as  he  had  not  known  for  days. 

Suddenly  a  tear,  representing  the 
tears  of  all  humanity,  dropped  from  the 
eye  of  Conscience.  He  saw  that  the 
human  will  had  won. 

The  soul  mask  on  the  Ruler's  face 
dropped  off  and  the  defiant  look  came 
again.  His  hand  gripped  the  sword  at 
his  side. 

Conscience  drew  back,  and  then,  as 
never  before,  he  shook  with  sobs. 

"Oh!  how  long  will  the  vanities  of 
man  last?  Come  with  me,  O  Ruler,  and 
I  will  show  you  a  picture.  Although 
my  heart  is  breaking,  I  shall  finish  my 
call  to  you." 

In  silence  Conscience  led  the  Ruler 
into  Truth's  great  art  gallery  and  with 
reverence  pulled  aside  the  curtain  of 
facts. 

[8] 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

The  Ruler  saw  before  him  Nature's 
greatest  and  most  beautiful  picture, 
"Peace." 

Vast  fields  of  golden  wheat  were 
flourishing,  waiting  to  be  harvested. 

Ready  for  the  market  was  an  orchard 
of  rich,  luscious  fruit,  so  heavily  laden 
that  it  would  joyfully  give  up  its  own 
for  relief. 

The  meek  sheep  grazing  on  the  hill- 
side were  content  to  sacrifice  they  knew 
not  why. 

Cottages  dotted  the  scene  every- 
where, with  little  children,  laughing 
and  gleeful,  playing  at  their  doorsteps. 

Strong,  manly  young  men  were  com- 
ing in  from  the  day's  toil.  They  were 
greeted  by  the  gray-haired  father  and 
mother,  who,  united  in  love,  had  pro- 
duced love. 

All  were  contented.  They  harvested 
their  grain,  gathered  their  fruit,  and 
slaughtered  their  lambs.  They  carried 
the  best  to  the  Palace  for  their  Ruler. 

"Should  they  in  return  receive  this? 

[9] 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

Look!"  said  Conscience,  and  before 
them  was  another  picture. 

The  gray-haired  father  and  mother 
were  bidding  farewell  to  their  son.  He 
was  in  the  uniform  of  a  soldier. 

The  mother  gazed  off  at  the  black 
rolls  of  smoke  and  flashes  of  light  in  the 
distant  battle-field.  She  knew  her  son 
was  to  be  sacrificed. 

Her  look  was  steady  and  long  as  she 
held  her  boy  from  her.  She  had  never 
harmed  a  hair  of  a  human  head.  She 
was  powerless  to  retain  what  God  had 
given  her  the  right  to  keep,  and  now  she 
must  submit  to  the  laws  of  man.  She 
would  give  all  if  necessary  to  bring 
back  the  peacefulness  so  suddenly  shat- 
tered. 

Surely,  she  thought,  the  guns  she 
heard  in  the  distance  were  the  guns  of 
deliverance. 

The  wheat-fields  needed  for  bread 
were  burning.  The  fruits  were  trampled 
upon  by  the  on-coming  soldiers.  The 
little  houses  were  wrecked.  The  chil- 

[10] 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

dren  were  crying  as  they  paced  along 
the  dusty  road  with  tired,  blistered  feet, 
keeping  close  to  the  older  ones  as  they 
all  hurried  on  before  the  approaching 
army. 

Old  men  shook  their  heads  in  sorrow 
as  they  looked  back  upon  the  scene  of 
years  of  toil. 

The  little  ones  were  asking  for  the 
bread  that  could  not  be  given,  but  the 
table  of  the  Palace  was  covered  with 
plenty. 

The  Ruler's  face  was  ashen.  It  gave 
Conscience  hope,  as  they  gazed  upon 
the  scenes  before  them. 

A  young  mother,  exhausted,  had 
dropped  to  the  roadside,  while  her  two 
children  clung  to  her  as  they  peered 
through  the  bushes  toward  the  deafen- 
ing sounds. 

The  eyes  of  the  mother  were  wise 
in  realization  of  the  horrible  sight 
beyond,  but  the  eyes  of  the  innocent 
children  only  stared  at  the  big  balls  of 
fire  bursting  in  the  sky,  causing 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

thousands  to  fall  from  the  poisonous 
gases  that  filled  the  air,  sweet  at  first 
but  bitterness  to  death,  giving  them  no 
chance  of  honorable  defense,  choking 
and  cutting  them  down  in  their  brave 
effort  to  fight. 

"You  call  this  modern  warfare?" 
spoke  Conscience. 

The  eyes  of  the  Ruler  lowered,  and 
Conscience  knew  that  he  was  trem- 
bling. 

In  silence  they  turned  to  the  next 
scene. 

Before  them  now  was  a  ship  branded 
with  a  Red  Cross,  the  sign  of  Hope. 

Although  the  sea  was  calm,  and  it 
was  far  from  the  rocky  shore,  the  vessel 
was  sinking. 

A  friendly  nation  wanting  to  feed  the 
hungry  mouths  of  thousands  of  a  sister 
nation,  trampled  through  and  upon,  as 
the  only  pathway  to  reach  an  enemy's 
city,  had  sent  the  good  tidings  to  their 
shore  to  give  what  their  trespasser  had 
failed  to  do. 

[12] 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

As  the  good  ship  was  nearing  the  end 
of  its  journey,  the  command  was  given, 
and,  without  warning,  a  device  of  man 
was  used.  Gliding  along  under  the 
water,  it  launched  forth  its  deadly  fang 
of  poison  and  the  long-hoped-for  bless- 
ings sank  to  a  watery  grave. 

"You  sent  again  and  again  the  com- 
mand which  gave  to  the  sea  that  which 
it  did  not  need.  I  have  called  to  you 
each  time,  but  you  heeded  me  not."  The 
eyes  of  Conscience  were  like  coals  of 
fire  burning  deep  into  the  soul  of  the 
Ruler. 

Before  them  now  was  the  pitiful 
sight  of  sacrifice,  for  soldiers  were  re- 
turning from  the  battle-field,  blind, 
deaf,  and  lame.  They  were  of  little  use 
to  their  nation  now.  They  could  not  see 
their  loved  ones  or  hear  the  voices  of 
welcome. 

The  mother  of  five  sons  hastens  to  as- 
sist her  only  one  returning,  never  to 
walk  again,  and  the  young  mother  gazes 
with  horror  as  her  child,  looking  up 

[13] 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

into  the  bandaged  eyes  of  the  father, 
leads  him  to  her. 

"You  are  asking  more  to  take  the 
place  of  the  shattered,"  cried  Con- 
science. "Can  you  longer  continue  these 
demands  upon  humanity?" 

The  Ruler,  who  so  many  times  had 
avoided  the  call,  was  now  forced  to 
speak.  He  covered  his  face  with  his 
hands.  Alone  with  his  thoughts  and  the 
truth,  his  greatest  battle  was  being 
fought;  the  flesh  warring  against  the 
spirit.  Would  he  win  for  all  mankind 
the  final  conflict? 

The  memory  of  his  well-trained 
armies,  the  huge  munition  works,  and 
the  many  scientific  devices  of  modern 
warfare,  and  above  all  the  fear  of  the 
people  to  disobey  the  call  to  the  battle- 
field, intensified  his  decision. 

He  knew  he  must  be  right  and  Con- 
science wrong,  and  he  replied : 

"I  refuse  your  call!  I  shall  continue 
to  the  end!" 

He  leaned  heavily  on  his  sword  as  he 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

spoke  the  words  slowly  and  deliberately 
to  Conscience,  and  long  did  they  gaze 
at  each  other. 

"I  shall  detain  you  but  a  little  long- 
er," spoke  Conscience,  now  almost  in  a 
whisper  of  despair. 

"I  will  show  you  how  the  peace  will 
come.  The  sword  will  be  used,  but  be- 
hind it  will  be  the  soul  of  Love  and 
Peace." 

Suddenly  a  light  outlined  itself  into 
space,  and,  as  if  the  rainbow  was  throw- 
ing out  its  color,  a  blue  appeared  in  the 
corner,  and  forty-eight  of  the  choicest 
stars  from  the  heavenly  sky,  for  it  had 
many  to  spare,  dropped  down  and 
nestled  into  it.  The  rainbow  could  spare 
some  red,  too,  so  warm  and  cheerful, 
and  it  was  ribboned  into  its  place,  and 
in  between  blended  the  white  rays  of 
purity. 

"This  is  my  last  picture  to  you,  O 
Ruler!  It  has  heeded  my  call,  and  it 
will  bring  the  peace  and  restfulness  of 
the  little  white  house,  even  for  you. 

[15] 


The  Vision  of  the  Great  Commander 

"A  nation  shall  bleed,  but  it  will  be 
the  blood  for  all  mankind,  and  in  the 
colors  of  the  rainbow  shall  be  written 
from  end  to  end,  'Peace  everlasting.' ' 

With  a  start  the  Great  Ruler  cried, 
"Come  back!  Come  back  to  me,  Con- 
science!" 

But  it  was  too  late.  He  was  gone  with 
the  answer  to  the  Rainbow  Land. 

In  the  royal  palace,  the  Ruler 
awakened  from  his  afternoon  nap.  He 
realized  his  vision  was  only  what  he 
had  in  reality  lived  through  for  many 
days  past. 

His  greatest  fear  was  the  Rainbow 
Picture. 

It  would  linger  forever  like  branded 
scars  upon  his  soul. 


[16] 


Photomount 
Pamphlet 

Binder 
Gay  lord  Bros. 

Makers 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
W.  JAN  21,  1908 


YB 


^40015 


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